Our history

The FDCD has its heart in the Urban Rural Mission program in the Middle East. This program, over the past 15 years, has worked for the empowerment of poor, marginalized and downtrodden communities in the Middle East and stands in solidarity with them where this is warranted.

As a movement of Muslims and Christians together, we strive to spiritually and economically empower communities to address the challenges they face through creative leadership training and community organizing.

We are also in solidarity with other URM circles around the world.

This program has its roots in the World Council of Churches URM program
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/mission/urm.html

Through a long process of discussion over the past three years, the URM program in the Middle East decided to institutionalize its work in the region, under the same spirit and using the name: The Forum for Development, Culture and Dialogue – FDCD.

The mandate of the FDCD has also been expanded to include program areas such as Justice with Peace and Dialogue.

Furthermore, FDCD is looking to register its organization in a number of countries in the region for better access to grassroots communities. As such, it''s Governing Board will be expanded into a regional and international Board.

Our Vision :
Life in Abundance

We envision ‘life in abundance’ based on justice, equality, social responsibility and dialogue at all levels of society, with particular focus on poor, marginalized, and downtrodden communities.

Our Mission :
Restoration of Human Dignity
FDCD represents a faith-based, integrated initiative rising from the community and aiming to restore dignity to marginalized, oppressed, and dehumanized individuals and communities. We strive to support communities of faith, both Muslim and Christian, to work alongside civil society organizations to address the challenges that face their communities, individually and collectively. This is done through a process of dialogue, inter-faith solidarity and cooperation among communities in the Middle East.

Through this sense of solidarity, and through intervention in specific locales,
we work to:

•activate the role that religious communities, Muslim and Christian, can play as they strive for cultural, social, and economic empowerment of marginalized communities and the promotion of sustainable development
•advocate for and encourage the peaceful transformation of conflict at multiple levels in society as a means of building peace through justice and reconciliation
•promote inter-communal understanding and cooperation by strengthening the role of women and youth in inter-cultural dialogue